(CNN) - Presidential debates haven't been around forever. A woman hasn't moderated a presidential debate in 20 years. A German immigrant is to thank for election season's October verbal battles. And Abraham Lincoln might have pioneered debate zingers. Don't believe us? Read on.

(CNN) - President Barack Obama's newest ad, released Saturday morning, makes the case for a second term by telling the audience the work of his first term is not finished.

The ad, titled "Challenges" and narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, begins: "Every president inherits challenges; few have faced so many." It goes on to detail Obama's accomplishments from his first term.FULL POST

(CNN) – Though it didn't come to fisticuffs, so heated was the exchange between the two debating candidates for a San Fernando, California congressional seat Thursday night that a police officer got up on stage to separate the two.

During the debate Thursday at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, two incumbent Democratic congressmen -Rep. Brad Sherman and Rep. Howard Berman- got into a verbal disagreement over the correct author of the immigration legislation known as the DREAM Act.FULL POST

(CNN) - Voters in California, Indiana and Oregon can take advantage of the Columbus Day holiday to cast their ballots Monday when the three states join ten other states that already have started early voting.

That's less than a week after the first presidential debate and 29 days ahead of Election Day.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Come the first Tuesday in November, when millions are streaming into polling stations across the country, as much as 40% of Americans will have already voted.

In 2004, 22% of Americans voted early and that rate rose to 34% in 2008, according to Paul Gronke, Professor of Political Science who founded and runs the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College in Oregon.

Washington (CNN) - When U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill announced in June that she would not attend the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, she joined a number of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle planning to skip the presidential nominating events.

Different reasons were given, but a closer look shows most are in tough races.

(CNN) - The political party conventions are considered a kickoff to the presidential election season - though the campaign has been going on for months, summer is winding down and Americans are beginning to pay closer attention to the race for the White House.

The conventions have served as a launching pad for future political stars like Barack Obama in 2004 and Sarah Palin in 2008. And from the convention stages came some memorable political speeches – sometimes regrettably memorable from the speaker’s point of view, as in the case of George H.W. Bush’s “Read my lips…” promise.

Here’s a look back at some of memorable speeches. What’s your most memorable speech? Add yours to the comments below.FULL POST

(CNN) - Paul Ryan's claim that Rage Against the Machine is among his favorite bands did not poll well with the rap metal group's guitarist Tom Morello.

"He can like whatever bands he wants," Morello wrote in a Rolling Stone opinion piece on Friday about the Republican vice presidential hopeful. "But his guiding vision of shifting revenue more radically to the one percent is antithetical to the message of Rage."FULL POST